Sand Castle of the Future

Students from Spain design a robot that can print sand castles better than kids can make them.

Almost every industry is trying 3D printing it seems, for uses that range from the innocent to the violent and everything in between. Recently, University of Pennsylvania postdoctoral fellow Jordan Miller printed vasculature with sugar. Win for science! But then ARCHTECT reported that a man by the name of “HaveBlue” fired shots from a 3D-printed gun. Win for gunmakers! Now, Designboom reports that researchers under the umbrella of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) in Spain, have taken their 3D printer to the beach. Win for fun lovers everywhere!

Spanish students Anna Kulik, Inder Shergill, and Petr Novikov designed “Stone Spray,” a robotic 3D printer that sprays dirt and sand into architectural formations. It can print in multiple directions, unlike most printers, and make sand walls that can bear loads. The team even made a sand stool, using the Stone Spray printer, wire scaffolding, and three hours of drying time.

Elsewhere, in Texas, architects from the AIA Houston component have been vying for 26 years to make best the sand castle. The IAAC’s new robot just might transform their entire competition. See how the robot works, below.